Authors

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

4-2010

Abstract

Objective: To predict prodromal psychosis in adolescents with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS). Method: 70 youth with VCFS, 27 siblings of youth with VCFS and 25 community controls were followed from childhood (Mean age = 11.8 years) into mid-adolescence (mean age 15.0 years). Psychological tests measuring intelligence, academic achievement, learning/memory, attention and executive functioning as well as measures of parent and clinician ratings of child psychiatric functioning were completed at both time point. Results: Major depressive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder diagnoses increased in the VCFS sample. With very low false positive rates, the best predictor of adolescent prodromal psychotic symptoms was parent ratings of childhood odd/eccentric symptoms and child performance on a measure of executive functioning, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Conclusions: Similar to the non-VCFS prodromal psychosis literature, a combination of cognitive and psychiatric variables appears to predict psychosis in adolescence. A child with VCFS who screens positive is noteworthy and demands clinical attention.

Comments

Version posted is the NIH Public Access Author version.

Robert J. Shprintzen is associated with State University of New York–Upstate Medical University. He is also a professor at Sacred Heart University.

DOI

10.1016/j.jaac.2010.01.010

Recommended Citation

Antshel, Kevin M. et.al. "Cognitive and Psychiatric Predictors to Psychosis in Velocardiofacial Syndrome: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study." Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 49.4 (2010): 333-334.

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